Organising a creative, adventurous and contented life

June 2013

24/06/2013

Gone are the days when we shopped seasonally to fill gaps in our wardrobe for the upcoming few months, choosing clothes of good quality that would last for years rather than washes, and aiming for both fashion and classic style in the one item because we didn’t intend to throw it away at the end of the season.

Now we are encouraged to shop continuously by a clothing industry that has embraced fast-moving trends, regular new stock, and perpetual sales. In the developed world (and spreading rapidly to the developing world), we have largely gone along with the cheap ‘fast fashion’ that has been thrown at us, becoming used to paying less for a piece of clothing than what it would cost to make it ourselves.

The result is overflowing closets, more donations than our clothing charities can handle, and massive production cities offshore from where we live, many of which provide unsafe conditions for their workers and pay only poverty rather than living wages (enough to meet basic needs plus a little to save). Ironically, it can still be difficult to find something suitable to wear as styles move quickly out of fashion; and even if we don’t follow trends, reduced quality makes it harder to fill our wardrobes with pieces we love.

Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth Cline provides compelling and indeed, shocking, detail into the greedy transformation of our bloated clothing industry. The situation is not sustainable—not even in the short-term—and requires each of us to act to preserve human rights and our environment. We can choose to return to a small and functional good-quality collection of clothes that meets our needs rather than following an industry that has lost its way.

Use a simple and effective clothing system—such as the capsule wardrobe—to design a workable collection. We don’t need to start from scratch; a suitable capsule collection is likely already behind our cupboard doors just swamped by other stuff!

Return to shopping seasonally. Develop a purchase list over the course of a season, allowing time to research and buy well rather than filling our wardrobes with impulse pieces.

Support companies that pay a living wage to their workers and who concentrate on ethical behaviour all along their production line. Over time, this information will become more available, especially if we demand it. It will also encourage companies to move in this direction.

Look for quality—in fabric, stitching, and style—so our clothes last longer. Sadly, vintage will become rarer as the quality of our clothing has reduced so much it won’t last to be worn decades from now.

Learn how to make or alter clothes. Elizabeth took lessons and now makes alterations so her clothes fit beautifully; she talks about how satisfying this is. We can also pay a tailor to do this for us.

Inventorying my wardrobe coincided with my discovery of this insightful book into the excesses of fashion. I had a growing awareness that I’d stopped shopping seasonally and was often looking to buy a particular silhouette or colour rather than seeing I had many similar choices already in my wardrobe. It’s certainly time I changed my habits!

It has been argued that we should continue to support companies that produce in developing nations, such as Bangladesh (site of one of the largest factory disasters in recent history), because at least we provide jobs of some form. However, by accepting the status quo, we effectively cast our vote for it, giving companies no incentive to provide better conditions. And we do want better for everyone involved—and for our planet.

Have you noticed a change in shopping habits over the past couple of decades?

20/06/2013

I'm aiming to use my dryer as little as possible this Winter. In our last house, there was barely room for a clothes-airer inside so we had lines strung up in the garage and across the deck. I've now got more space and can put up two clothes-airers under a heating vent which dries clothes fairly quickly.

There's nothing cosier than hanging washing neatly indoors on a clothes-rack while a hearty meal simmers away in the slow cooker and the rain falls outside—it's so gorgeously domestic!

17/06/2013

Being creative is not a gift that only some have been blessed with; it’s essential nourishment for all of us. Not only does it add richness to life, it’s one of the strongest sources of satisfaction and contribution—to ourselves and to others.

There are many things we can do to nurture and inspire our creative spark, but the most important of them all is consistency.

Recent research has shown how flexible and malleable our brains are. We educate our brains constantly by the way we live our lives and they adapt accordingly. If we expect irregular flashes of inspiration—to express our creativity only when we feel like it—then that’s what we’ll get. Likewise, if we desire to be creative every day, and if we work at it every day, then that’s also what we’ll get.

Think about how effective a pre-bed routine can be. By following a pattern—such as changing into pyjamas, brushing teeth, reading a chapter of a book, then breathing deeply—our body automatically winds down for sleep. We can apply the same approach to being creative.

Let’s take the example of writing. By setting a regular time to write, then at that time opening our notebook or laptop, getting rid of distractions, and writing a page of text without editing, our brains will come up with content. Not every time (just like some nights we find it hard to fall asleep) but astonishingly often.

Carve out a regular niche for creativity, have a routine to lead into it, and be delighted as your ideas flourish.

10/06/2013

If you want to feel really productive and satisfied by this evening, pick three things that are important to you at the moment and do them for fifteen minutes each today.

Your three things could be a relationship to nurture, a project to create, an interest to indulge, the exercise your body needs, a recipe you’ve been meaning to cook, an issue that’s bugging you, or a difficult phone call to make.

Impact is not related to time. You can knock over some things—such as that phone call—in five minutes, and feel just as productive and satisfied when you’re done as you can spending an hour at the gym.

So fifteen minutes is a guide. If you finish in five minutes, that’s great; if you keep going, that’s fine as well. Just make sure you touch on each one enough to make a dent in it and to earn that wonderful feeling.

Just think—you could have your three things done by morning tea! If you’re an early riser, you could knock them over by breakfast. Anything else you do today is a bonus.

06/06/2013

I’m no interior decorator, nor do I have a distinct decorating style apart from putting what I like where I like it, but one technique I find appealing is displaying vintage pieces alongside modern ones. A quirky, kitschy, or dated item can look fabulous in a modern home when it’s carefully placed.

It’s an opportunity to display and enjoy family heirlooms and op shop finds, and give them a beautifully fresh look.

So before you declutter something from your home, look at it once more with a fresh perspective to see if you can style it in a different way.

03/06/2013

It is a mellow day, very gentle. The ash has lost its leaves and when I went out to get the mail and stopped to look up at it, I rejoiced to think that soon everything here will be honed down to structure. It is all a rich farewell now to leaves, to colour. I think of the trees and how simply they let go, let fall the riches of a season, how without grief (it seems) they can let go and go deep into their roots for renewal and sleep.

May Sarton, Journal of a Solitude

Nature is gloriously and abundantly beautiful. How amazing that it can release that abundance in order to recharge and rebuild. If only we could let go of things with complete trust that everything will turn out okay, with fresh vibrant experiences filling the space created.

In fact, for humans, it’s not easy to let go of either the good or the bad.

One would think we would gladly release our suffering, but it can be surprisingly difficult. As Eckhart Tolle explains, “The greater part of human pain is unnecessary. It is self-created as long as the unobserved mind runs your life.” In other words, some pain is necessary but we add to it with unconscious thinking and holding on. Still, loosening our grip is easier said than done.

And what about the good? Have you spent time with people you love and not wanted it to end? Enjoyed a fabulous holiday that you wanted to stay on forever? Been absorbed in a favourite activity that you didn’t want to stop?

Mindfulness teaches a healthy detachment that allows us to stand back and observe, a helpful precursor to being able to let go.

Practicing letting go without fear—of ideas, possessions, options, people—can be liberating. We learn that our experiences are complete as they are, even when they're messy. That relationships can be improved without digging in and complicating them.

As we get better at getting out of our own way, we can learn from nature by using the space to rest and nourish ourselves, confident that there are many more bountiful experiences coming our way. It is in the letting go that we make room for them.